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Topic: Requesting Substitute Freebie (Read 6027 times)

My kids enjoy going on a tour of a local candy factory. At the end of the tour, they give out a bag of their candy to everyone on the tour for free. My son has multiple food allergies, and in the past the bag they've given us has been the exact same and been totally fine for him to eat. This time, because of Halloween I think, the bag was different, and included one of his allergens. We took the bag with a smile and a thank you and I bought him an extra treat in their store to make up for him missing out on the treat his sisters got to enjoy.

But, I'm wondering if I would have been okay to ask them for a different bag so he could have had one that was safe for him. My feeling on why it would be okay is that they are a business and they are giving away this candy and doing these free tours to encourage purchases of their products. Also, they do seem to be very allergy aware, and from a customer service point they'd want everyone to be happy. BUT, the other side of me says by asking I'd have been a SS, basically saying that their nice gift was not good enough.

What says you? Is this a situation where it is business so it is different or is it a gift and no matter how much the gift was not hte right one for you, you smile and say thank you.

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"The test of good manners is to be patient with bad ones" - Solomon ibn Gabirol

Bopper - yes, if I'd asked it would ahve been done discretely and with full acceptance of a no.

Raintree - well, since I bought a different bag and their tour leads out right into their store, an offer to purchase a bag would have sounded kinda silly - they had the exact bags they were giving away for sale in the store, as well as tons of others of varieties of similar bags. I bought my son a similar bag, but the candies in the bag I bought were different flavors and were all safe for him.

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"The test of good manners is to be patient with bad ones" - Solomon ibn Gabirol

I think it would be ok to quietly say "would it be possible to swap this bag for one of your normal candy bags instead?" with a smile. If they say outright no, then you have your answer. But if they say yes or ask you why then it's ok to explain further.

There's a possibility that the goodie bags are premade and that for this period of time they only have the special ones, so it might have been a hassle / not possible for them to give out a normal one right now. Or perhaps the normal ones are just sitting there as well and it would have been easy - they might not even have needed a reason! So I think it's ok to ask but without putting on any pressure or implying there was anything wrong with what they'd given out.

I think it would have been fine, and not SS at all. this isn't a whiney annoying kid who is pouting because they didn't get enough black Chuckles, or brown M&Ms, right? you have a child with an allergy who won't be able to enjoy *this* gift bag, but would be able to enjoy *that* one. i think that since there is an easy solution to the problem (since they already have *the OK for him candy*), it would be fine.

I think you could have asked but there's equally nothing to stop you emailing them after the event and letting them know that this bag contained an allergen that their regular bag doesn't. It might be that they're so fixated on one type of allergy (e.g. nuts) that they forget that people are also allergic to other things in their products (e.g. dairy). If nothing else it might help them when they put together their next goody bag.

But on the other, where does it end? How many allergys does the placehave to accommodate and how often? If they start swapping for you, do they have to swap for everyone? I mean you say you will be discreet but how do they know you won't go onto the internet to an allergy forum and announce they are willing to swap? Or announce it to parents in the waiting room at the allergists office? And now they are getting bombarded with special requests - and not all from polite, discreet parents.

I'm sure its awful for your son to have allergys. And I'm sure it adds a burden on you. But where is the line between "it is what it is" and "accommodate us"? I mean you say they "usually" give out a bag of stuff he can eat - how often do your kids do this tour that you know that? Is it a free tour? If its a free tour that your kids do often, I'd say they already got their fair share plenty of times peviously, If its a paid tour, the goodie bag isn't really "free" its part of your addmission fee and I think you can mention the allergy, perhaps even well in advance of the bags being given out.

WillyNilly, you raise some good points. I think that I would have been okay asking, but it was best to not ask. My son is still happy and my daughter is happy because she knows there is a whole other bag of the free candy up for grabs, and I do believe she's been eyeing it.

(oh, when I say frequently, I mean two or three times a year - and while we get the free candy each time, I always leave there spending $20 - $40 on other candies, so they definately get their monies worth from us going on the tour - I've also stopped by their without the kids just to buy gifts for other people, partially because we are so familiar with the place because of the tour).

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"The test of good manners is to be patient with bad ones" - Solomon ibn Gabirol